Improvement in car-couplings



Patented Feb. 16. 1875.

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INVENTOR MM WiTN ESSES ATTORNEYS il TATES PATENT FIOE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,862, dated February16, 1875; application filed October 28, 1874.

To all whomit may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE M. THOMPSON, ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and Valuable Improvement in Pole Attachments toHorse-Gars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the construction and operation of the same,reference being had to the annexed dra-wings making a part of thisspecification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figures l and 2 or" the drawings are representations of sectional viewsof my pole attachment. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. et isa detail View.

My invention has relation to means for attachin g draft-poles tohorse-cars; and it consists mainly in attaching the coupling to avertical pull-rod rising from the upper edge of the dash-fender, andheld down by a spring, in combination with a spring-slide in thecoupling-box, which will hold up the coupling-pin when the draft-pole isremoved from the coupling-box, and allow this pin to automatically dropand effect a coupling when the pole is introduced into the said box, aswill be more fully explained in the following description:

In the annexed drawings, A represents the platform of a street or horsecar, and B the dash-fender thereof, which parts may be constructed inthe usual well-known manner. O designates a bar, which is rigidlysecured to the platform A, and which has a ilaring coupling-head, G',formed on one end, which head ares laterally, and has a floor and topparallel to each other. The throat of this coupling-head terminates in along rectangular chamber, in which is applied a sliding block, D, behindwhich a spring, S, is arranged for moving the block forward beneath acouplingpin, E, when this pin is raised to allow the removal ofthedraft-pole F. The sliding block D has a pin, g, inserted into its upperside,

which plays in a slot, h, made longitudinally in the bar O, and checksthis block when it has moved sufficiently far beneath the pin E. (Shownin Fig. 2.) G designates a pull-rod, the lower end of which passesthrough the head of the pin E, and the vertical portion of which passesup through suitable guides applied to the dashfender B, and has aspring, n, applied to it, which operates to hold the pin E down at alltimes. On the upper end of the vertical portion of the rod G aloop-shaped handle, j, is applied, by means of which the driver canconveniently raise said rod when he desires to uncouple the draft-poleE.

It will be seen from the above description th at when the coupling-pin Eis raised far enough to allow the withdrawal of the draftpole E, theblock D will be shot forward beneath the said pin by the spring S, andwill hold this pin up. The spring a will then press the lower end of thepin E down upon the block D with sufficient force to prevent a casualdropping of the pin. Then the rear end of the draft-pole E is forciblythrust into the coupling-head C', it forces the block D back, and allowsthe spring n to shoot the piu E through the eye of the pole, thuseffecting a coupling.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The vertical pull-rod G, work-ing in guides on the dash-fender B, andheld down by a spring, n, the flaring coupling-head C', the coupling-pinE, the sliding block D, pin g, slot h, and spring S, in combination withthe draft-pole of a horse-car, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

GEO. M. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

A. G. CARR, C. H. WILLIAMS.

